ST BARNABAS Church will undergo a rebirth which will also revitalise the surrounding area if a planning application is approved by the district council, according to the parish priest.

Father Ed Tomlinson has unveiled the community's shared vision which could see a new community centre built around the existing St Barnabas Church hall, in Stanley Road, Tunbridge Wells.

It would house a cafe, offices, purpose-built counselling rooms and kitchen – to combat the three crises facing the community of poor health, poor education and lack of social cohesion.

Father Tomlinson said: "Drug and alcohol abuse is high and many school children live in a chaotic and dysfunctional setting.

"But all is not bleak. The parish is vibrant and many residents are supportive, kind and full of life."

The new building will be on the site of the present church hall, with the actual hall remaining in use while the major renovation takes place around it.

It will also contain modern toilets, children's toilets, a playground and plenty of storage space.

Father Tomlinson added: "The creation of such a facility would allow the whole community to gather together and access a range of services currently sorely lacking."

The document presented as part of the application said residents in the area could be split into two groups.

These were "young professionals" getting a foothold on the property ladder and "established families" living with low income and unemployment as a daily reality.

The report said the surrounding wealth of Tunbridge Wells led residents to feel insecure, and the community suffered inner city estate problems but lacked an established infrastructure to support it.

It revealed 45 per cent of children had special education needs, more than a third spoke English as a second language and almost 70 per cent had no pre-school education.

Health care was seen as inaccessible, residents suffered from "low self-esteem" and there was no visible community focal point.

To combat these problems the community had set up the Barnababies mother and toddler group in 2007, launched the Barna-Bus pre-school in May 2008, and hopes to offer adult education and parenting courses once the new building is complete.

The development will also house a clinic for new-born babies, host clinics for alcohol, drug abuse, smoking and obesity, and two smaller rooms will provide space for counselling.

The pensioners lunch club, West Kent Hindu community, Rainbows, OAP fitness, badminton clubs and the majorettes will be some of the various groups using the hall.

The local shops would also benefit from the project as more people visited the area.

But not all residents are happy with the plans.

Fenella Sinclair, of Quarry Road, objected on the council's website, saying : "Although I am pleased the ugly toilet building is finally to be demolished, I am aware it will be replaced with another ugly building with no provision for green space, trees and shrubs to improve the visual effect of the area."

She also said there would be an increase in noise and more traffic, making it more dangerous for her cats.

Council officers hope to make their decision by November 27.